Grindstone Running Festival by UTMB
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About the race
The Grindstone Running Festival by UTMB is a trail running event held in Natural Chimneys Park, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley. The 2027 edition marks the event’s 20th anniversary and runs from 23 to 26 September 2027.
The course uses trails through the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest and is scheduled during peak fall foliage. The terrain is described as highly technical with significant elevation changes, ridges, peaks, and valleys. Distances include ultra and shorter trail formats with substantial climbing on each course.
Distances and key figures:
- 100M - 167.4 km, 6400 m+ elevation, 4 Running Stones
- 100K - 100 km, 3350 m+ elevation, 3 Running Stones
- 50K - 50 km, 1550 m+ elevation, 2 Running Stones
- 21K - 21 km, 500 m+ elevation, 1 Running Stone
The festival is a dual qualifier for the UTMB World Series Finals and the Western States Endurance Run. The event offers UTMB Community Bibs; half of the cost of those bibs goes to a local charity chosen by the race team. The Community Bibs program is part of The IRONMAN Foundation and its fundraising and trail stewardship initiatives; IRONMAN and the IRONMAN Foundation report over $60 million given to nonprofit initiatives since 2003. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
